Electric hand lantern



June 1, 1937. c. H LARSON ELECRIC- HAND LANTERN Zia/ampC/CZ/QZELCIPSOTZ/ S; c ;.4

Filed Feb. 7, 1935 Patented June 1, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE2,082,067 ELECTRIC HAND LANTERN Application February 7, 1935, Serial No.5,342

2 Claims.

The invention relates to electric hand lanterns especially intended foruse of railway trainmen.

The object of the invention is to simplify,

lighten and generally improve lanterns of this type; and it consists invarious details of construction hereinafter described and illustrated inthe accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a View in elevation of thelantern with bulbs;

Fig. 2 is a detail section on the line 2--2 of Fig, 1.;

Fig. 2 is a detail on the line 2 2 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 3 is a detail section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line l4 of Fig. 3; and

Figs. 5, 6 and '7 are views in perspective of certain parts of the lampappearing in Figs. 2, 3 and 4-Fig. 5 being a view of the switch controlelement; Fig. 6 of the socket carrying plate, and

Fig. 7 of the reflector.

The lantern is of a type in common use, its body portion l5 being acasing for inclosing a dry cell. The lantern is preferably provided witha swinging handle it, and a wire standard IT.

The dry cell is conventionally shown at l8, being inclosed within thecasing [5. An annular skirt l9 slidably fits upon the lower end of thecasing l5, its upward movement thereon being limited by a beading 20. Itis retained in place by means of screws, as 2|, 2|, setting through aninturned flange at its lower margin and the bottom 22 of the casing l5.A pair of lamp sockets 23, 24, are fitted within a metal supportingplate 25, and insulated therefrom, as shown at 26, 26. The plate 25rests upon an inturned flange at the lower end of the skirt l9.

A contact element 21, in bowed form, engages the central contacts of apair of bulbs 28, 29,

4Q fitted within the sockets 23, 24, and is secured centrally to thebottom 22 of the casing l9 by means of a rivet 30. The head of the rivetforms a contact for a connection 31, conventionally shown as beingassociated with one of 45 the terminals of the battery. The element 2'!and the rivet 30 are suitably insulated from the plate 22, as shown at32, 33.

! A ring of insulating material 34 is set in the upper face of each ofthe socket blocks 23, 24,

50 to prevent electrical connection between the element 2'! and thesocket block when the bulb is absent from the socket.

The controlling switch of the lantern comprises a helical spring 35,fixedly attached at one 5 end to an upstanding lug 36, adjacent a marginof the plate 25, and at its opposite end to a button 31, the shank ofwhich projects outwardly through, and is movable within, a slot 38 inthe skirt l9, and carries a slide plate 39 bearing against the innerface of the skirt and covering 5 the slot 38 for the purpose ofexcluding dust. A plate 40, secured midway of its ends to the shank ofthe button 31, has its ends bent inwardly and slidingly engagingupstanding detent flanges 4|, &2, formed on the plate 25. 10

As is clearly shown by Figs. 2 and 4, in the assembled lantern the lug36 is positioned so closely to the adjacent part of the skirt l9 thatthe skirt prevents disengagement of the switch from the lug. In theillustrative embodiment 15 a machine screw passes through the lug and isthreaded into the spring constituting switch 35, and the length of thescrew is greater than the spacing between the skirt and the head of thescrew.

The plate at is elastic and bears against the 20 flanges 4|, 42, withsuflicient force to prevent its ends from sliding over shoulders formedon the plate except when subjected to pressure applied to the button 31.The shoulders of the flanges ll, 42, are adapted to hold the switch inextreme and intermediate positions. The spring 35 is put under slighttension when applied, and when in central position is midway between thetwo lamp sockets. Upon moving the button to either of its extremepositions this spring is brought in contact with one of the lampsockets, thus closing the circuit from the rim through the socket, theplate 25, the skirt l9 and casing l5, and a connector 43, conventionallyshown as being as- 35 sociated with the battery.

A reflector plate 44 is applied to the lower face of the plate 25, andhas a flange 45 which rests upon the inturned flange at the bottom ofthe skirt l9 and is apertured to receive the screws 2|, 2|.

To prevent the turning of the contact element 2'! about the pin 30, theinsulating element is lapped down on one or both sides of it, as shownin Fig. 2, and the bottom 22 of the casing I5 is punched down, as shownat 22*, 22 to engage the insulation.

Various changes in the details of the forms oi construction illustratedmay be made within the scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention-- 1. In an electric lantern, in combination, abattery casing having battery connectors, a me tallic skirt dependingfrom the casing, a metallic lamp supporting plate carried by the skirtand pair of rim contact lamp sockets carried by and insulated from thenamed plate, a contact element connected with one of the batteryconnectors for engaging the terminal contacts of bulbs carried by thesockets, an upstanding lug carried by the named plate, and'a switchelement cooperating alternatively with the sockets and being attached toand electrically connected with saidlug.

2. In an electric lantern, in combination, a battery casing havingbattery connectors, a metallic skirt depending from the casing, ametallic lamp supporting plate-carried by the skirt and t 7 2,082,067electrically connected with the battery casing, a

electrically connected with the battery casing, a pair of rim contactlamp sockets carried by and insulated from the named plate, a contactelement connected with one of the battery connectors'for engaging theterminal contacts of bulbs carried by the'sockets, an upstanding lugcarried by the named plate, and a switch element cooperatingalternatively with the sockets and being attached to and electricallyconnected with said lug, the spacing between the lug and the plate beingrelatively close, whereby the skirt prevents accidental separation ofthe switch element from I the lug. V

CARL H. LARSON.

